TURKISH PRESS REVIEW

TUESDAY JULY 30, 1996

Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning

One of Turkey's most valuable natural resources, acres and acres
of forests are going up in flames. During the hot dry summer
months the tinder dry forests burst into flame and the fires
spread quickly. In the popular tourist areas of Marmaris and
Kusadasi the fires are particularly bad. Reports from the regions
most affected say that strong winds are fanning the flames and
that even the larger towns are threatened.

Regional officials complain that even the large numbers of fire-
fighters involved in trying to extinguish the fires are not
enough and that forestry department fire control centres are not
sufficiently well equipped to deal with large forest
conflagrations. /Milliyet-Cumhuriyet/

It is reported that following operations carried out by Iran
against Kurdish camps in northern Iraq yesterday, nearly 2,500
people who fled from the region took shelter in the UN Refugee
High Commission compound in Erbil. Noting that operations were
over, Iranian officials stated that 20 high-level Kurdish leaders
were killed in the fighting.

Meanwhile, replying to questions regarding the issue, Turkish
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ambassador Ömer Akbel said: "This is
an important development in our region. We are closely
following what is happening." /Sabah/

84 people whom the PKK terrorist organization forced to immigrate
to Iraq in 1993 yesterday fled to Turkey. This is the first
collective escape from the Atrus camp which is under PKK control
even though it belongs to the UN. These 84 people have been
settled in Sirnak. /Hurriyet/

Ankara has invited the Committee for Preventing Torture and Ill
Treatment of the Council of Europe in order to examine the
situation in Turkish prisons.

Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller pointed out yesterday that
misleading information was being given to western public opinion
regarding recent events. Ciller stressed that there has been no
criticism in committee reports to date regarding prisons in
Turkey.

Yesterday, Ciller sent letters to the foreign ministers of
Germany, France and Italy, EU Commissioner Van den Broek and
Chairman of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament
Pauline Green who sent letters to Ciller to express their concern
over the hunger strikes in Turkey. Noting that as a result of the
determined attitude of the government and great efforts of
officials, hunger strikes in prisons were halted on 27 July,
Ciller stressed that they had conducted studies to decrease
restrictive implementations in prisons and provide better
conditions for inmates.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ambassador Onur Oymen
gave information about the recent events in prisons to
representatives of EU and NATO member countries in Ankara.
/Milliyet/